Adrian Lester to Star in RED VELVET as Part of Kenneth Branagh's Season at the Garrick

After acclaimed runs at the Tricycle Theatre and St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, Lolita Chakrabarti's RED VELVET, starring Adrian Lester, is coming to the West End as part of Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's inaugural season at the Garrick.

According to the Daily Mail, it will run January 23 through February 27, 2016.

Tricycle Theatre director Indhu Rubasingham told the Daily Mail about the play's struggles to lock in a transfer, saying "Ira was white-washed out of history, and we struggled to put him back front and centre -- but we couldn't make that final move."

That is, until Branagh saw the play at the Tricycle in 2012 and loved it, went on to open his new company, and with some nudging, saw the perfect opportunity to put on the show.

Marilyn Eardley, who suggested RED VELVET to Branagh, commented: "...the play's come at a perfect time. People are discussing diversity in culture and in everyday life - and here it is on stage, for real."

When RED VELVET ran at St. Ann's Warehouse, the official description read: "Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage while playing Othello. Ira Aldridge, a young black American actor, has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riots in the streets over the abolition of the Slavery Act, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theater?"

Adrian Lester more recently played 'Othello' opposite Rory Kinnear at the National Theatre. Aside from RED VELVET, his past stage credits include CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Novello, HENRY V at the National, COMPANY (which earned him an Olivier Award), SWEENEY TODD at the National, and AS YOU LIKE IT at Cheek by Jowl.

Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton